Divine Ink: Thailand’s Sacred Tattoo

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Fancy getting a Sak Yant, or a Thai tattoo?

Unlike other tattoos, Sak Yant tattoos are inked by Buddhist monks and masters of magic.

Said to be mystical and possessing spiritual powers, they are inked using stainless steel needles with ink made from cigarette ash, snake venom and herbs.

Adherents believe that tattoos are able to offer them protection against danger and death, as well as bring luck, power and courage.

A Sak Yant, or sacred tattoo /CGTN Photo

One such believer is a Thai man who only wants to be known as “Boy.”

Speaking to Assignment Asia, “Boy” said: “I'm hoping that my financial situation, my work life, and all aspects of my life will be better. Better than it is today.”

Another believer is Walter Richter from Austria who believes that Sak Yant cured him of prostate cancer, despite the lack of scientific research into the association.

However, the mystical tattoo is not meant for everyone.

Sak Yant tattoo master Ajarn Dam said that if believers cannot live by the moral code, it's best not to get a Sak Yant.

Some believers fall into a trance as the spirits of the Sak Yant tattoos reportedly took over. /CGTN Photo

Describing the moral code that protects the tattoos, Joe Cummings, author of Sacred Tattoos of Thailand, said the tattoos do not have power per se.

“The power is the metaphysical substance that is planted inside your body by the master and is held in place by the moral code. If you are not acting morally, the power leaks out of your body,” Cummings told Assignment Asia.

Assignment Asia is CGTN's award-winning current affairs program featuring long-form stories and documentaries on some of the most pressing issues in the region. The show airs Saturdays at 1330 and 2130 GMT, with replays every Sunday at 0630, Monday at 0130, and Tuesday at 0530.